Routine Enquiries

I’ve been enjoying the series of posts this week on Simple Homeschool about the different schedules and routines that homeschooling families use. Jamie, who writes the blog for Simple Homeschool and Steady Mom invited people to write a post on their blog about their own routines, I thought I would do this for a couple of reasons:

1. I really like reading about, and have benefited from learning about, other people’s way of ‘working’ with homeschool so feel like I should pay back into the system as it were!

2. I recently discovered just how important routine is and what a difference it can make not just to our homeschooling, but to our well being as a family.

Over Christmas I adopted a ‘relaxed’ approach to our days, we took it as it came, giving ourselves the chance to enjoy opportunities as they came up. With my Dad visiting we had the manpower to tackle a different approach so we were able to get out of the house a bit more. Each day offered new opportunities and we would decide which ones to go for on a day-by-day basis. Well that was how I saw it.

I’m pretty sure Huwyl saw it differently. I don’t think he would be able to consciously articulate it but I think what he felt was chaos. Our routine was gone, each day was unpredictable and our dynamic was different. Madness reigned. His behaviour deteriorated and he eventually had a massive meltdown, worse than we’ve ever seen. It was horrible.

We spent time trying to analyse ‘what went wrong’ and we realised that there was no consistent routine to our days, the rhythm had gone. Stephen, Dad and I talked about how to structure our days in a way that would be healthy for the boys but also for me so that I don’t end up burning out. They are high energy beans and take a lot of work to keep happy, so building in breaks for me was important. I got over my guilt about this when I realised the alternative is total exhaustion and an end to our homeschool journey, not the outcome I want.

Since we’ve decided on our rhythm (and stuck to it) we have a different child on our hands. He is happy and content most of the time, he seems more secure and grounded and I feel as though he trusts me more. I feel different too, knowing what is coming and knowing that I (mostly) won’t have to argue about it is liberating and very stress reducing. I’ve also found that as I am pacing myself more through the day I am more able to invest myself during the times when we are all together, even if the children seem to be demanding a lot. By thinking about their needs in advance and recognising the potential hot spots and difficult times of day (we find 4pm is a really tough time of day, we cancelled an activity because of the timing and I really don’t regret the choice) we’ve been able to avoid some of the clashes and tantrums from both the children and me!

So here is how it runs in our homeschool (Huwyl would be in SK this year).

7.00 – 9am This is basically breakfast and getting up time. This covers everything from getting up, getting dressed, eating, clearing down the kitchen and getting Daddy off to work. I often have a rest until about 7.45 as we have a nursing toddler who is a bit pesky at night, so I get a chance to have a few minutes to myself and begin my day a bit more gently. I am really not a morning person. Daddy takes over and I am very grateful to him for this!

9 – 9.45 Huwyl has some computer time and I can get us sorted for the morning. This is a good time for showers and tidying, putting laundry away, meal planning, checking emails, getting resources ready…whatever is needed. The site we use for games is Cbeebies, the games are all educational and really well thought out so they count as part of our ‘schooling’. Huwyl enjoys this kind of independent learning, he is not restricted by being unable to read and it seems to give him confidence. Plus he is having fun!

9.45 – 10.15 Snack. We call a halt to whatever we are all doing and have a bite to eat, this can be a fruit platter or granola bars, something to take the edge off but that won’t fill them so much that they lose interest in lunch.

10.30 – 11.30 Outside time / movement. Getting the boys moving is not, I’ve discovered, an optional extra. For us it is essential and non negotiable. Both of my boys have lots of energy and if they don’t have a good run about in the morning we pay for it by the afternoon. During Canada’s winters this can be a challenge but I am willing to face anything up to about -17c (as long as it isn’t too windy) as it really is less horrid than crazy kids climbing the walls by 2pm. Twice a week we have morning activities that are very physical and allow for a lot of running around, the other three days are free for either nature walks, a run around the block, playing in the garden or a playdate with a friend. As long as there is the opportunity for big body movement we are good for the day.

12pm Lunch. We are currently alternating a soup/sandwich schedule to make life easy for me! Though there is room for compromise, today we had soup and a sandwich!

12.30 Quiet time. Huwyl goes upstairs and listens to audio books, something he absolutely loves to do, and I can take time to eat lunch, catch up on a bit of computer time, get some things set up for homeschool, read to Neirin and play 1-1 with him…whatever the day demands. Quiet time ends when Huwyl is done with his stories which is between 45 mins to an hour and a half. Currently he is rotating the Magic Treehouse stories which he never seems to tire of.

2pm We start school. This includes a variety of things, some that we do every day, others once or twice a week. I try and make sure we do some music practise every day, as well as some reading and drawing/art/craft activity. The drawing is often linked to the stories we have read but it is definitely interpretive as Huwyl likes to go his own way with things! I encourage him to label things and we do a bit of handwriting practice once or twice a week. Since November we have been using Story Of The World, Volume 1 and the accompanying activity book. This is such great fun and Huwyl adores it. He thrives on learning new information and loves to regale complete strangers with information about nomads and the battles of the Egyptian kings. This makes for some fun conversations when we meet new people on our walks!

We are also working on maths through number recognition and some pattern work. I try to keep this fun and allow us lots of different approaches such as reading books and playing games rather than formal worksheet type teaching. I’m very excited about the Living Maths approach and want to develop that more as we go. Another thing we will spend time on is our nature journal, I have a proforma that I fill in as Huwyl dictates, we are building a record of our adventures through the year and I’m looking forward to noting the changes as the seasons develop and change.

Just as a side note I want to mention that Neirin (currently 22 months) doesn’t nap, so this part of the day can be a juggling act. I assume that he will be involved in any craft or art we do and am currently trying to work on our ‘sharing mummy’ skills. This isn’t what I had visualised when I planned this year, I thought we would do school while Neirin napped but…when do things ever work out ‘as planned’ where little people are concerned?

3pm Snack time, often a nice biscuit with a cup of tea, something warming and comforting. We are now done with school and depending on the weather we can head out for some fresh air or have some playtime, read a book, make some cookies…I like the flexibility this gives us.

4.15pm is usually TV time. During the winter months some tv time definitely comes in handy at this time of day. I’ve mentioned that this is a tricky time of day for Huwyl so having some ‘downtime’ seems to help us. While the boys are watching tv I make dinner for them and get some prep done for grown up dinner time later. Neirin likes to be in and out of the tv room, he plays with toys and comes into the kitchen or sits with his big brother. The shows the boys watch are pre chosen by us and they do not watch adverts (commercials) so I’m able to get on with my work without worrying they are seeing something they shouldn’t.

4.45/5pm Dinner

5.30 Free play for the boys, tidying up for me.

6pm Bath and showers

6.30 Daddy is home and the bedtime routine begins. Mummy is very grateful!

So that’s what we are up to at the moment. Our outside activities at the moment are gymnastics and homeschool play group as both are in the morning. We go along to our homeschool group’s nature walk once a month which takes us to new places and gives us the chance to mingle with other homeschool families. We also do a music class once a week (Music for Young Children) which is our only afternoon/evening activity. This also doubles up as 1-1 time for Huwyl and I, something we share and work on together.

I know that our routine will evolve and adapt as the seasons change, we will be able to spend more time outside as the days lengthen and warm, but I will work hard to preserve this rhythm we have found. This heart beat at the centre of our days keeps us on track, letting us all know what to expect but allowing room for nice surprises. I don’t know what each day will bring, but with a framework that keeps us all feeling secure I think the future looks bright.

Post navigation

17 thoughts on “Routine Enquiries”

Thank you for sharing your day. Our day looks very similiar to yours in many ways. I have a 7 year old and 4 year old ( that suddenly stopped napping too ). I appreciate your transparency! One question….Where do you get your audio books from?

Hi Anne! We have audio books from a combination of places, the magic treehouse we got from the library, our library even has a loan download but I haven’t tried that yet. Huwyl loves them so much we invested in some of them for him as he listens to them a lot! We’ve had many others from the library that we’ve enjoyed (Winnie the pooh being a real fave) and http://www.barefootbooks.com/ has some lovely books with cd’s that have been just right for us. I’m even thinking of doing some recordings for him as his loves listening to stories so much. Another source is http://www.oddsbodkin.com/, we actually started off with these, our first collection of audiobooks was the Evergreens, just right for a 4 year old (as Huwyl was at the time). You can also download from his site very cheaply, some of the collections were just $5/6.

It’s funny how something we think is so relaxing actually isn’t so for children, I’m constantly needing to change my perspective to try and keep up! Now we have a regular routine it is working much better for us : ) Magic Treehouse totally rules! Glad to know there are others enjoying it too.

Our days sound very similar, although we have mild winters in Texas and don’t have to worry about -17 temps (hats off to you!). My twin toddlers are in and out of naps and I get a glimpse of what our changing schedule will be soon once or twice a week when they revolt. But I agree completely, that schedule and routine are very comforting and essential to happiness at home. Good work!

Though I love, love, love the snow and season differences here in Canada there are times when mild winters sound divine! The napping thing was something that stressed me a bit at first but I came to the conclusion that this is where we would be ending up so I might as well get used to it! We sometimes compensate by having Huwyl up a bit later or a nice long (uninterrupted) reading session before bed. I hope this makes the difference : )

Rutines .. I need organization right now !!! My rutines are crazies, I’m go like crazy to everywhere. Besides these was cold days, I’m with antibiotics now 🙁 and can’t hear with my left ear 🙁 ha ha ha.,

i found you through the simple homeschool post and i loved your post. great thoughts here and reminders on why rhythm/routine is so important. i also loved where you said that you are done feeling guilty about building in breaks for yourself. must hold onto that myself…

I’m glad you enjoyed the post Robin! I’ve popped over to your blog and commented on your post about homeschooling : ) I am now a devotee of the routine/rhythm! I am trying to learn to let go of guilt, it really is counter productive and I’m not doing my beans any favours by being exhausted and grumpy or worse! When you think about your routine it is worth building in those ‘out breath’ moments and rests through the day. Having that choice is the joy of homeschooling!

I love it too! My friend bought it for me at Chapters Indigo, the book store, they have a great range of stuff. I also have a bag that my another lovely friend sent from England. If you google the keep calm carry on slogan I’m sure you’ll find somewhere online.

Love that mug… should pick one up for myself too:) I was thinking this slogan would make a great theme for Quincy’s nursery, although the original intent behind this slogan is kind of sad! She is becoming more calm now. Should heed your advice and take some me time too. Stephen doesn’t get home till 6ish? You are super mummy with the kids all day. Love the photos, as usual, especially the one of Neirin.

Yes my lovely friend bought it for me, she is very kind ; ) I actually do use it every day, a cup of tea is very calming : ) I know you can get posters and cards which I think could be very suitable for the nursery! You do need me time, let’s book that aromatherapy shopping trip and go for a tea too. Even if Quincy is with us we can still have some chill out time xxx

Quiet time rules! It really is the saving of me. For us it has really clicked now that Huwyl can listen to an audio book. We started off with the odds bodkins Evergreens stories, they are so gentle and good for younger ones. We also heavily use the library for audio books.